[Politics] Chelsea FC - should they be allowed to continue?

[Swansman]

It doesn’t seem like this Chelsea charity foundation trustees have agreed to run the club afterall.

A club who’s entire success is built upon a close contact and supporter of Putin - even before this conflict wealth of questionable origin and providence.

I would ban Chelsea from all competition immediately unless there is definitive proof he is not running them and all funds from Russia / Abramovich have been removed.

This conflict is bigger than whether football fans will be upset about it. It would send a huge message. The whole owning of Chelsea has been a slow process of Russian acceptability in the West.

Every peaceful option possible has to be taken.

Would you also ban Newcastle? And Wolves?

Its a difficult question this. Plenty of PL owners are important people in countries that carry out very similar stuff as Russia is doing now - for instance we have the Saudis bombing Yemen and China running concentration camps for people of a certain ethnicity. I'll leave the US out as talking negative about them may not be allowed. This is not "whataboutism" but similarly horrific issues, just given less attention for reasons I've talked enough about.

The fact is that multiple not-so-nice countries are sportswashing in the Premier League.

My suggestion for a very long time has been quite simple: ban all foreign ownership of English football clubs. The only negative consequence to it would be that it would be difficult for English clubs to compete with giants abroad, but is that really important?

 

[AmexRuislip]

I agree.

Also, how does 'sports washing' work with Abramovic exactly? He can't enter the UK, now. Everyone (apart from Chelsea fans) think he's a tedious rich nonentity at best. I thought sports washing was a means of spreading your doctrine or poplularity or commercial position by using club ownership to open doors that would otherwise be closed. Like that very popular former owner of Newcastle, and all the way back to that very popular Peter Swales at Citeh. (Sorry, I don't think sportswashing exists - rich owners on ego trips (or asset strip-trips as in the case of Archer), more like it. Or maybe they just like football - turning blood money into negociable bonds through football ownership is not anything I have seen - but perhaps I'm naive; or maybe sports washing is simply an ill-chosen term for something else that eludes me)

And have we yet resolved whether his daughter tweeted in favour of Ukrain or not? If she did, she and the whole clan are likely to be on the Novichok list. Meaning Abramovic is hardly a supporter of Putin.

As per usual the media hype this all up.
I agree, we're not at the 'let's piss our pants' stage yet, but feel that this Russian intrusion won't go on for long, as there's too much at stake for all to loooooooose.

Anyway, I don't think that Sergei Gotsmanov will be
doing any talks at the Amex on todays politics

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Russians have been courting acceptability and influence especially in the UK for years. Our hubris has been taking the money and thinking they’ll probably be more aligned to us, but it’s been an exercise all along. Deadly toxin state instructed assassinations on our own soil, annexation of Crimea, we’ve just sat back and let them get on with it and now it’s like the horses have bolted and we’re saying should we have had a better latch on the gate?

We have to hurt them now every which way possible. Mazepin and his son kicked out of F1, Abramovich kicked out of Chelsea, if it doesn’t happen, then suspend them from competition.

I’m with Mackenzie, if we were owned by a Russian oligarch with clear links to Putin and our government had them under sanctions I’d be gone. At the very least I’d want to protest in at least equal measure to we did with some of our previous owners.

I mooted nuking Moscow to Mrs T this morning. It didn't play well

I agree, now is the time to hit them hard. To say 'but what if they nuke us?' as some may think, is instant surrender.

Personally I don't give a **** about Chelsea. It's Putin I'm worried about.

Perhaps Johnson will step forward and show his Churchillian nous. It's not as if he's vowed to not let the British military get involved.

Oh.....hang on

 

[Bold Seagull]

Would you also ban Newcastle? And Wolves?

Its a difficult question this. Plenty of PL owners are important people in countries that carry out very similar stuff as Russia is doing now - for instance we have the Saudis bombing Yemen and China running concentration camps for people of a certain ethnicity. I'll leave the US out as talking negative about them may not be allowed. This is not "whataboutism" but similarly horrific issues, just given less attention for reasons I've talked enough about.

The fact is that multiple not-so-nice countries are sportswashing in the Premier League.

My suggestion for a very long time has been quite simple: ban all foreign ownership of English football clubs. The only negative consequence to it would be that it would be difficult for English clubs to compete with giants abroad, but is that really important?

Yes - it’s a disgrace we’ve allowed this to happen. We are sucking Satan’s proverbial manhood and asking where he’d like to put it next because we want to be in the top 6 next season. These regimes can’t believe their luck, we can just funnel our blood money through the UK and look legit doing it.

We’ll look back and wonder much like rules that allowed owner’s to sell a club’s assets out from under them - how did we let this happen?

The PL and football is now shrouded in blood money, I agree with your points but Ukraine is the most direct visceral example of it and one of our most successful clubs is only successful because of Russian money. IMHO time to take a stand on this, then move on to all fit and proper person tests because it is all fast going to shit and there will only be one or two clubs not owned by complete scum.

 

[Rogero]

He still owns Chelsea . The club should be confiscated from him and sold . All monies go to help Ukraine refugees.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I mooted nuking Moscow to Mrs T this morning. It didn't play well

I agree, now is the time to hit them hard. To say 'but what if they nuke us?' as some may think, is instant surrender.

Personally I don't give a **** about Chelsea. It's Putin I'm worried about.

Perhaps Johnson will step forward and show his Churchillian nous. It's not as if he's vowed to not let the British military get involved.

Oh.....hang on

Mrs T may well have said “if you haven’t got the balls to sanction an oligarch, what point is there thinking about firing a shot?”

 

[hans kraay fan club]

It doesn’t seem like this Chelsea charity foundation trustees have agreed to run the club afterall.

A club who’s entire success is built upon a close contact and supporter of Putin - even before this conflict wealth of questionable origin and providence.

I would ban Chelsea from all competition immediately unless there is definitive proof he is not running them and all funds from Russia / Abramovich have been removed.

This conflict is bigger than whether football fans will be upset about it. It would send a huge message. The whole owning of Chelsea has been a slow process of Russian acceptability in the West.

Every peaceful option possible has to be taken.

If you shut down Chelsea, then where do you draw your line? Bournemouth surely have to go too, bankrolled as they are by dubious Russian money. And Everton’s backers Moshiri and Usmanov mean they are toast too.

And that is before we start on other murderous, warmongering regimes, whose funds bankroll Newcastle and Wolves.

 

[Bold Seagull]

If you shut down Chelsea, then where do you draw your line? Bournemouth surely have to go too, bankrolled as they are by dubious Russian money. And Everton’s backers Moshiri and Usmanov mean they are toast too.

And that is before we start on other murderous, warmongering regimes, whose funds bankroll Newcastle and Wolves.

No one said fighting a war was easy. A European neighbour has been invaded, I’m not sure we’re prepared to ask the really difficult questions here - what happens to football in the face of a nuclear aggressor doesn’t seem like the right question.

The right question is why can’t we freeze the assets, including football clubs of oligarchs with ties to the Russian regime? Not, but where do we stop because so many of our football clubs are already owned by would-be Bond villains.

 

[Sirnormangall]

If you shut down Chelsea, then where do you draw your line? Bournemouth surely have to go too, bankrolled as they are by dubious Russian money. And Everton’s backers Moshiri and Usmanov mean they are toast too.

And that is before we start on other murderous, warmongering regimes, whose funds bankroll Newcastle and Wolves.

Chelsea has been a laundromat for dodgy money ever since Roman took control. Let’s hope the chickens are coming home to roost. It would be a shame for the fans if the club collapsed and I hope they would survive - albeit in the championship. I feel the same about ownership of any club - ownership has to be subject to a more robust fit and proper test, not just on acquisition but ongoing.

 

[Surport Local Team]

Would you also ban Newcastle? And Wolves?

Its a difficult question this. Plenty of PL owners are important people in countries that carry out very similar stuff as Russia is doing now - for instance we have the Saudis bombing Yemen and China running concentration camps for people of a certain ethnicity. I'll leave the US out as talking negative about them may not be allowed. This is not "whataboutism" but similarly horrific issues, just given less attention for reasons I've talked enough about.

The fact is that multiple not-so-nice countries are sportswashing in the Premier League.

My suggestion for a very long time has been quite simple: ban all foreign ownership of English football clubs. The only negative consequence to it would be that it would be difficult for English clubs to compete with giants abroad, but is that really important?

One word YES,, same as I try not to buy anything from sweat shops. If I do, it is only without realising!!! Once I have the knowledge I never shops there again.

 

[Swansman]

One word YES,, same as I try not to buy anything from sweat shops. If I do, it is only without realising!!! Once I have the knowledge I never shops there again.

And that is fair enough... but I think it is a better solution to ban owners (preferably all foreign owners) than banning the clubs, because football is very good for society and all clubs are a part of that.

 

[beorhthelm]

This conflict is bigger than whether football fans will be upset about it. It would send a huge message. The whole owning of Chelsea has been a slow process of Russian acceptability in the West.

there's a counter theory that owning Chelsea was Abramovich pet project to give him some acceptablity or alternative life outside Russia. his history is tied to Putin but not as similar temperment or outlook. i dont recall Chelsea or Abramovich promoting Russia over the years, just focused on the football. not even a raft of related sponsors as there with some other clubs.

 

[The Fits]

As others have said. It’s difficult isn’t it? So you take action NOW on Chelsea even though the whole thing has always been utterly dubious, but you turn a blind eye to the likes of Man City and Newcastle? Doesn’t make sense to me. Half the big clubs in the world are owned by dodgy ****s.

 

[clapham_gull]

i dont recall Chelsea or Abramovich promoting Russia over the years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg4fh4FLJMw&t=2s

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

To the opening post

Yes they should, they existed before Abramovich and should continue.

If they start to struggle without moneyand become the team they were in the 80s - good.

 

[Bold Seagull]

To the opening post

Yes they should, they existed before Abramovich and should continue.

If they start to struggle without moneyand become the team they were in the 80s - good.

Badly worded but that’s what I meant. As the conflict is now, and they’re competing in cup finals and champions league on Russian money - feels very wrong they could be parading trophies around while their owner is potentially connected to the state and it’s leader. Obviously they can exist without him, or carry on if his assets are frozen etc. just feels very wrong that they could have been celebrating yesterday while still owned and bank rolled by him.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Badly worded but that’s what I meant. As the conflict is now, and they’re competing in cup finals and champions league on Russian money - feels very wrong they could be parading trophies around while their owner is potentially connected to the state and it’s leader. Obviously they can exist without him, or carry on if his assets are frozen etc. just feels very wrong that they could have been celebrating yesterday while still owned and bank rolled by him.

Yes - how I feel

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Badly worded but that’s what I meant. As the conflict is now, and they’re competing in cup finals and champions league on Russian money - feels very wrong they could be parading trophies around while their owner is potentially connected to the state and it’s leader. Obviously they can exist without him, or carry on if his assets are frozen etc. just feels very wrong that they could have been celebrating yesterday while still owned and bank rolled by him.

I agree with you.

I just don’t understand why you feel that Russian petrochemical billionaire Max Demin should be allowed to bankroll an English club, but Russian petrochemical billionaire Abramovich should not?

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I agree with you.

I just don’t understand why you feel that Russian petrochemical billionaire Max Demin should be allowed to bankroll an English club, but Russian petrochemical billionaire Abramovich should not?

A bit unfair. It’s understandable to focus on the most high profile example. Someone else could start a thread on Max Demin if they wish. Personally I would ban both along with the Arab states and anyone else who does not pass a properly run fit and proper owner test.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Compared to what Ukrainians are going through, is football fans suffering that big a deal - really, in the great scheme of things?

No, no it isn’t, of course not.

I’m angry about Ukraine, I really am, but……….

That big message you speak of………..Putin could not give a flying fxxk.

And to be honest I don’t really have any beef with Abramovich. There is a saying about keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer. Maybe that is exactly what RA has done, who knows?